What Do You Do With Your House When Kids Move Out?

Your last child moved out. Your kid is now an independent young adult. As people put it these days, you have an empty nest.

Some of you might be thrilled or you might be dealing with empty nest syndrome. Empty nest syndrome refers to the feelings of sadness, loneliness, and/or stress that parents may experience when their children leave home.

There are a lot of things to do when you have an empty nest. You can relax, travel, or spend more time with your partner or friends.

But what are your options for the nest itself? The family home where you raised your children? Ultimately the decision is yours since your children are moving forward in their lives, you might still want to hold onto the family home as it was but many parents change things up.

Put your house on the market.

This might sound drastic, but often it's one of the things people think about first but you aren't willing to admit. That's normal. Grown kids leave, and spend time in their own new homes. It makes sense but it brings significant changes to your daily routine.

It's normal to feel guilty, but it's a great opportunity for you to leave the nest as well. Here's some of what you can do if you sell your home.

Downsizing

Putting your house on the market will allow you to move into a smaller place, that will help you save money and is easier to take care of.

Now that you really have your own place for just you and your partner, you can focus on future plans and find a house closer to the hobbies you enjoy. Life goes on even when the last child moved out.

Think about how your living expenses will shrink and at the same time you have a substantial amount of money to pursue more interests.

More time for hobbies

Let's face it, children, even adult children, take time to take care of - leaving that empty nest behind means less time taking care of the house.

That means more time for self-care and new challenges. The post-children normal is something most parents dread but you can find ways to fill the time with other family members of a similar age.

Selling your house and starting new hobbies is a great way to find a new sense of self and of self-worth. This might sound dramatic but empty nest syndrome is truly something that can creep up on you when your children have left home.

More freedom to move around

Moving with children meant making sure they could be in a good school district but you have one less thing on your list as a parent but one more thing in your favour should you choose to sell your home.

You can now look for places that suit your tastes and don't have to worry about school anymore. To live independently again after quite some time where you took care of your children's needs may feel daunting but that's normal.

Even if you have enough money, it's not an option to toss aside.

It's once again time to think of your own life and how leaving the empty nest behind helps deal with the empty-nester syndrome by tackling it head-on. Nothing beats a good talk, but action helps immensely.

From a real estate point of view, you're in a great spot since you're able to sell a big beautiful home in a good school district and reap the benefit of that last item one more time.

If you want to travel and see the world, you no longer need to worry about needing to support your children. It's not always a race to get more space in a nice neighbourhood, now you can travel and get a new sense of who you are without your children moving with you.

Figuring out the new you can take quite some time but it's a form of self-care in moments of significant changes in your life.

Hire a professional organizer to help you declutter and clean up.

What if you don't want to move? Then there are still quite a few things to do!

A professional organizer is someone who helps people arrange furniture, declutter, and clean up. They can help you figure out where to go next with your life and then look at the house and see how it all fits together.

Professional organizers come in and work through things one room or cupboard at a time making sure every inch of your home can be used by you again.

A professional organizer doesn't allow you to do all the work but helps tremendously by understanding how your life fits into your home and makes it so that your home is working with you, not against you.

They make sure that everything is where it should be and each room is useful again given your new living situation before they leave.

What's the point of a professional organizer for empty nesters?

Professional help like that can help make the necessary break. With their help, you can process those feelings of having an empty nest while at the same time gaining more control over your house.

Empty nesters that take ownership of their house back are less likely to feel lost and instead come to terms with the fact that a new chapter started.

The young adult in your life might be surprised but it will also help them understand that you are taking ownership of your time and space again.

That house will still be their family home but many young adults feel relieved when they do not sense that they need to worry about their parents.

Get rid of furniture, decorations, etc., that are no longer being used.

No matter how well you clean up and de-clutter, there will always be those boxes that hold those clothes that don't fit anymore. No longer caring for those clothes might feel like a shame but it's time to move forward.

Clothes can be given away or thrown out and the space in the closet feels like a new piece of freedom.

Not only that but those boxes can be emptied and you might find documents, letters, make-up, photos of when your one child was just a year old, drawings from when they only just started to write, and other things - bonus memories!

That's one of the great joys of fixing things up around the house. Basking in the memories is a great way to remember that the empty nest is one that was filled with good memories and there's not much else that can give your self-worth a boost!

Wanting to move on from your children is not something unnatural, it's okay to want them to live their own lives as well.

When organizing your home, be sure to look at each room as its own entity rather than just part of a whole. Each living area should be able to stand alone as a functional space.

Rearranging furniture, getting rid of excess furniture, and donating unused household items are all great ways to help make this happen.

It can be hard to let go but it's important to do so to create an environment that is perfect for your new lifestyle.

Your home should be a reflection of your newfound freedom and not a constant reminder of the children that have moved out.

Take some time for yourself!

Now, more than ever, it's important to take some time for yourself. This is especially true if you've been a stay-at-home mom or dad for many years. When the last child leaves, it's an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family and helpful to have something new to do that involves this big beautiful empty nest you have on your hands.

Decide whether or not you want to rent out rooms in your home for extra income (e.g., Airbnb).

The most important thing is that you find something that will help you get out of the house and meet new people. Or maybe you can stay inside and meet people, that can work too.

It can be hard to make new friends as an empty nester, but it's not impossible. Becoming an Airbnb host can be a great way to keep yourself occupied if you have more space than you know what to do with.

When a child leaves, it's great when you have an activity that is something that your adult children can find interesting and entertaining. How? Imagine the stories you can tell them about the Airbnb guests you have over.

How do you start renting part of your home?

You might feel uncomfortable at first, but it will be worth it.

One easy way to start renting rooms in your home is to use a website like Airbnb.

This website allows you to rent out a room or your entire home to people who are looking for a place to stay.

It's a great way to make some extra money and it can be a lot of fun meeting new people from all over the world.

Make sure you make it clear what kind of experience the renters can expect. If you simply want to make some extra money or also get to know your potential renters, it's important to set the right boundaries to make it a great experience for everyone.

Just don't try to make your new renters part of the family. It can be tempting, with the feeling of the empty nest still vivid but they're best left as friends. It's especially important considering the next point.

How will my child feel about me turning their room into an Airbnb?

It's important to reassure them that you will always have plenty of time for them. The good thing about renting out rooms on Airbnb is that you can block out long periods so that your child has somewhere to stay if they come to visit.

Explain your reasoning behind wanting to rent the room out, the positive impact it can have on your life, and how you'll use some of the money to do some of the things you always wanted to do.

It doesn't matter if they are older, they're still your adult children.

Will it be strange to have a stranger in the house?

The first few weeks can be awkward but having some activity around the home can make you feel like your empty nest isn't that empty after all.

Some parents of children that have moved out don't want to travel the world and that's perfectly fine, but hosting people who are travelling can make for a great topic of conversation with their adult child if there are lulls in conversations.

But what happens if you don't want to rent out their rooms once they become a young adult? As much as it's nice for your adult daughters and "young men" to have their own lives, at the same time you can still want them in your life and your house. So what if you could channel that empty nest syndrome into something good for your adult children?

Modernize your home before giving it to your children

Years ago, you repaired the hole in the wall where your eldest daughter lodged a hockey puck. Your sons may be young men now but they were kids jumping into piles of leaves in your front yard. Just because a child leaves doesn't mean a house stops being a home, neither do you stop being parents.

And while you feel the call of adventure even as your child moves into their first apartment with a significant other, you can't leave the house to a new family. Not yet.

In time though, one gift you can give them once you feel the need to move somewhere smaller and easier to maintain is giving them your empty nest so that they can fill it again. After all, you did the renovations over the years and you know you're already in a good school district.

Before that happens though, here are a few things that can help you modernize your home.

Upgrade your kitchen with new counters cabinets, and appliances

That dishwasher served you well but a family home needs something safe for toddlers.

Your countertops and cabinets will have some wear and tear, from creaking to scratches. If you can fix these issues, and replace some necessary items then it will be one fewer thing your kids have to think about when they eventually move in.

A stove or microwave might be host to many memories but a new appliance can help them save on energy bills in the long run.

And until you tell them the changes are for them, you can enjoy the updates yourself.

Add or fix hardwood flooring

Maybe the flooring you have in place while your children were growing up was in fashion but time has passed and maybe the flooring's time has passed too. Hardwood flooring is pretty timeless though.

Water damage like humidity warping planks, scuff marks, or damaged planks can all be a memory of the past. Think of it like changing the branches of the empty nest.

Install new light fixtures

When you're adding new light fixtures or changing old ones to your home it's important to consider what type of lighting you need for different rooms.

It might be time to upgrade from incandescent or CFLs to LEDs which can last up long into the future, depending on how often you use them of course.

You should also install a dimmer switch so that you can adjust the light to the mood you need, whether it's reading in bed or hosting a dinner party.

These small updates will not only modernize your home but make it easier for when your children come to visit. You'll have more time to talk and less time trying to figure out which light switch turns on the porch.

Update the bathroom

It might seem like a luxury but updating your home's bathrooms will make it easier for everyone when there is a house full of guests or kids.

Replacing an old bathtub, toilet, and sink can make a huge difference, as can updating the tiles and paint.

It's also a good time to think about accessibility. If you're not sure what that means for your home, it might be time to consult with a professional so that everyone who visits can feel at home, especially if one of your children or their significant other is disabled.

A fresh coat of paint can't hurt

Paint your walls neutral colours instead of the loud hues you would never leave the house wearing.

Let's be honest, our parents' sense of fashion wasn't like our own, it will be normal for your kids to feel the same way too.

Bright neutral colours can help your kids feel like they have a new canvas all to themselves. And though they left home, they can now come back to a life that makes sense for them.

Conclusion

While empty nester syndrome refers to a real problem that affects many parents, how you deal with your home can help alleviate how you feel lost once your last child moves out. Some people may suggest getting a job, or that it would be helpful to have professional help and these are perfectly valid suggestions.

Still, don't underestimate the act of dealing with your house, the literal empty nest. It can be one of the best ways to forge ahead. Life continues and it's time for a new normal full of helpful friends, a daily routine of adventures, and doing exactly what you want.

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